


i'm not lonely, babe, i am free

by cougarlips



Series: the "zuko is a freedom fighter" canon divergent jetko au no one asked for [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 2 bros chillin in a tea shop 5 feet apart bc they're big gay, Coping, Drinking & Talking, Identity Issues, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22704820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cougarlips/pseuds/cougarlips
Summary: “Sometimes I feel like I used to be Zuko, but I’ve been someone else for so long now that I don’t know if he’s still… me.”
Relationships: Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: the "zuko is a freedom fighter" canon divergent jetko au no one asked for [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630861
Comments: 12
Kudos: 594





	i'm not lonely, babe, i am free

**Author's Note:**

> title is from cinnamon from hayley williams bc it's whole ass vibe and mood
> 
> thrown on a dart of my relative timeline. sometime after love you (even though you hate me), maybe a few days? or a day or two? give or take. and we have our first mention of aang! even though it's not wholly relevant at all

“Do you prefer Zuko?”

“I… don’t know.”

They sat at a table inside Uncle’s tea shop. It was well past dark, and the store had been closed for some time by that point, but they stayed up.

Jet wanted to say it was because he no longer trusted Zuko. Mostly, he realized, it was because he missed him.

Zuko just appreciated the fact that Jet wasn’t hell-bent on killing him.

“Sometimes I feel like I  _ used _ to be him, but I’ve been someone else for so long now that I don’t know if he’s still… me.”

Jet looked at him with a touch of confusion in his eyes.

“You don’t need to be Zuko anymore,” Jet suggested quietly.

The thought had occurred to him before. Shedding the layers of Zuko’s life and becoming someone different. Becoming Li.

Earth Kingdom refugee, Li.

“I don’t think that’s possible for me,” Zuko replied.

“Of course it’s possible,” Jet argued. “You’re your own person, you know?”

“I have a duty to my people, Jet. I can’t just abandon them to the Fire Lord.”

Jet frowned. “You don’t owe anyone anything.”

But Zuko shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. “I’m the only person who can set the Fire Nation right.”

“What about Aang? You know, the one whose sole purpose is to create peace and balance in the universe, or whatever bullshit they say?”

Zuko properly snorted at the suggestion, and after a moment Jet laughed too.

“Aang still can’t even earth bend, unless something’s changed since I saw him last. He’s not ready to overthrow the Fire Nation.”

Jet looked at him funnily. “You met him, too?”

“You… could say that,” Zuko admitted, something like shame and embarrassment creeping into his expression. “I hunted him all the way from the South Pole to the North.”

Jet’s eyes widened. “The entire world?  _ Why? _ ”

“After my banishment, the Fire Lord said it was the only thing that would restore my honor.”

They both fell silent.

“Your banishment….” Jet began, but his expression turned bitter. “I don’t know what’s worse. My parents were killed because of the Fire Nation, but you were abandoned by it and, what, left to die? Neither of us had a choice, but here we are.”

Zuko shook his head, his mouth twisting into a scowl. “I was a fool for believing I needed its forgiveness for so long.”

He sipped at the tea they’d been nursing for the better part of the evening, frowning at its temperature. Eyeing Jet first, Zuko cautiously wrapped his hands around his cup and warmed the base with his hands. It began steaming in moments. He looked back up to see Jet’s eyes narrowed.

“I don’t think I’ll get used to that any time soon.”

Zuko put his teacup down. He felt himself ball his hands into fists on the tabletop, but Jet’s rough hand tentatively moved to unfurl them.

When Zuko looked back up, Jet wasn’t smiling but his eyes were apologetic. “Maybe I can  _ learn  _ to get used to it.”

Jet weaved his fingers through Zuko’s slowly.

The sun began to rise, illuminating Jet’s curls first. Zuko felt himself begin to smile at the sight.

“I think,” he said, “I could learn to be Zuko again.”

**Author's Note:**

> ~~work was literal garbage fire this week lol so bear w me as i work through some shorter pieces just to take my mind off of some shit!~~


End file.
